So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them: "I'm here to introduce you to this God.... He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him!" ~Acts 17

I love good stories.
Most of us can name favorites — a novel, short story, film, television show, something
we read in a magazine or newspaper or heard somewhere. There are as many
ways to tell good stories as there are forms of art and human creativity. Each
form brings unique aspects to the story being told. One of my favorite
things about all good stories is the way they bring God-talk into
open spaces.

Among other things,
good stories explore what it means to be human and live in this world. They get
at who we are and why we do the things we do. They tell us something about
ourselves, the world we live in and the people around us. And the best
stories are true — not that they actually happened but that they reflect human
nature and the way the world works. They reflect, in essence, something of the
truest and best Story, the one in which we all live and breathe. Stories
like that provoke us to examine what we believe and why. They help us think
through the issues we face. They can even change the way we approach life,
people and the world.

If we are paying
attention, we dis­cover that good stories reflect God’s truth. Paul notes in
his letter to Roman believers that God has made himself known to all people
(Rom. 1:20) and he puts this concept into action “in the open spaces” of Mars
Hill (Acts 17). On that hill in Athens, talking with a group of
philosophers and thinkers, Paul uses bits and pieces of religions, literature
and stories they are familiar with that reflect truth and, ultimately, God.
God is all around us, he tells them: “He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us.
He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him”
(Acts 17:28, The Message). It makes sense, then,
that our good stories — no matter who tells them — would reflect something
of God.

Today, some of the
best and most powerful stories of our age are on the big screens of your local
movie theater and the small screens in your living room. These media provide
unique ways to experience good stories. Films tell stories in a more compact
and distilled form — kind of like a short story — while television uses longer
arcs, somewhat like a novel. But both forms share stories in a vast
cultural context. Millions experience the same story at the same time. Often,
these shared stories become part of our collective and common experience, and
sometimes they take on or share a kind of mythic nature (think Westerns or
science fiction in general or, for example, Star Trek in particular).

These kinds of stories
play an im­portant role for us. If they are good stories, they will not only
reflect human nature and the way the world works. They will help us understand
how we should act and the way the world should be. They help guide us in
the journey we are on in our part of the Story.

If we are paying
attention, these stories provoke us to think about the important things in
life. They are opportunities to explore the truths they reveal — and,
ultimately, what they reflect of and how they challenge us with our
larger Story.

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About Me

I am a writer, editor and graphic designer with broad experience in writing, editing, magazine publishing, web management and developing communication strategies for new and traditional media. Currently, I work in public relations and do a bit of freelancing. This is my space to write about popular culture and faith.